Dispensing container



F. A. MARX DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed June 25, 1953 April 17, 19562,142,200. msPENsINo commissie Frank A. ,Manxg BridgetowngOhiogassignon'by mesne assignments, to Morton- Salt.-Company,. Chicago,Ill.,

Mfy.. present inventionv relates'l generally to containers andmorep'arrticularlyto containers'for dispensin'gtableted articles such aspills or thelikei f Pastv practice inithe-l handling` oftab'leted'articles has resorted to shipping' such' tablets! in' cartonsfrom which they are later emptied into vending ordispensing machines.,Such` a' systenientails expensive handling andtliel exposing of thetablets to contaminating influences. Another system' presently employed,and which is much to bepreferred over the former, is that of shipping'such tablets in a com'- binedA dispenser and container whereby"suchcontainer may serve directly thev combined function of shippingcarLton and dispensing' machine. Such a class' of combined shipping cartonandv dispensing' machines arek presently knowmbut myl invention seeks toimprove` onl such de; vices bringing. forth a dispensing containerhaving improved: features of'v construction` and: simplicity' of"Voperation.

The primary object of my'i'nvention is to provide a new and improveddispensing container which `doubles as a shipping carton anda dispensingmechanismwhereby tableted units orA articles maybe shipped and dispensedwith-a minimumofhandling. j f j Anotherobject of my' present inventioni's to` provide a dispensing container which' has meansiintegrallyassoci# ated therewith for the dispensin'gof tabletedl articles car`ried Within its interior, one at atirne, according' to the convenienceand dictatesof the user.

Still' another object'` of' my invention is toprovide anew and improved'dispensing-'container `which is advantageous over' such devicesheretofore known; both `as to' its: construction and operationalcharacteristics. K p

The above and further objects, features and: advantages of my improveddispensing containerwill be recognized by those familiar with the art'both from the following detailed description and; specificationsthereof' and with reference to the accompanying" drawingswhe'ren apreferred form of its features is illustrated..

In the drawings:V l

Figure lisa plan view showing the-layout of acarto'n proved dispensingcontainer; p

Figure'` 2 is a perspectiveview.' illustrating theA dispensingcontainerv formed' from the assembled blank of Figure l;

Figure' 3 is a longitudinal crosjssect'ion'al' view taken UnitedSefsPafCnf T e ,ICC

with the front wallportion 12; At fold 21 innerside wall portion 19 isjoined to a like sized inner back wall: portion 22 while at fold 23 sidewall portion 20 is adjoined' to' a similar exterior back wall portion24. The back wall portion 24 is further adjoined at fold 25 to anoutside side wall portion 26, while the inner back wall 22 is similarlyadjoined to a retaining ilap member 27 at fold 28.

Two similar upper tab members 30, 30 are adjoined one to the upper endof each the inner side wall 19 and the outer side wall 20 at folds31,31. Such tab members each cover substantially one-half the size oftop wall 13. At the opposite end of the inner and outer side wallportions 19 and 20, two lower tab members 32, 3'2are provided; oneadjoining to each the inner and outer side walls at folds 33,33.

The inside back. wall portion 22 is adjoined at folds 34 and 35respectively, to an inside top wall 36 and an inside p bottom wall 37.

` As will be appreciated from a further study of Figurel of the drawingsthe back wall portion 24 isconiigured with a substantially rectangularcut-out or opening 40 adjacent its lower edge, while eachof the tabmembers 32, 32 is cut-out at one corner in quadrant fashion as at 41.The inside bottom wall 37 is provided with asubstantially. semi-circularcut-out 42 along its lower edge. A dispenser operating aperture 43formed at the junction of bottom wall15 and the front wall 12 comprisesa substantially semi-circular portion intercommunicating with a.rectangular portion; the purpose of which opening will be understoodmorefullyv from descriptive matter whic appears later herein.

Y From a study of Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, it willV berecognized that thev forming `blank 10 illustrated, is

folded into the shape'of a rectanguloid or box-like container with thetab members 30, 30 and inside top wall 36 being folded. inside orbeneath the top wall` 13. Similarly the tab members 32, 32 and insidebottom wall 37 are foldedinwardly or inside. of the bottom wall 15. Inthis regard it will be appreciated that when such lower tab p members32, 32. are folded into. position the quadrant circular cut-out portions41, 41 in one corner thereof mate to form a-semi-circular openingaligned in substantially blank which goes to comprise the wall'po'rtionsof my`i'rnf155 Turning now to my features. of my improved dispensing y Ycontainer, inspection will rst be made of'Figure 1 of the drawingswherein the lay-out blank 10 for forming" the carton portion of; mycontainer-'1T' is illustrated'. As will concentric relation withA thesemi-circular cut-out portion 42 of the-inside bottomwall 37 and thesimilarly shaped portion of the dispenser operating opening 43 thusforming an opening through the bottom of the carton. Further,

it will beunderstood thatthe outside side wall 26 is folded l,retainingl ap 2'7 andthe. adjacent insideface. ofy the outside. sidewall. 26.. Tabs 30, 30, inside topr wall. 36 and outside top wall 13are-retained in their assembled relation by means of a suitable adhesiveafter the container has been. iilled with .a plurality of tableted unitssuch as 4'5, 45, indicated in Figure 3. The bottomwall structure of theassembled carton is likewise, formulated by' gluing the inside bottomwall 37 to'underlying tabs '32,' 3'2 and then the outsidejbottorn wall:15S4 to the' underlying wall 37.

Thus` it will be recngnizai that when the carton blank 10 is assembledalong its various folds and the several elemental portions thereofrelated in the manner indicated hereinabove, the rearward wall of thecontainer, indicated generally at 46 in Figure 3 comprises a double wallconsisting of the inside back wall 22 and the outside back wall 24. Suchtwo wall members are not cemented together, but vare left free withrespect t one another so that a plate like bracket'element 47 may beslipped in between such two back walls and fastened at its lower end toa suitable supporting surface by screw members 48. In this regard thesubstantially reetangular shaped cut-out portion 40 at the lower edge ofoutside back wall 2d assists to clear the screw members 48 when thecontainer of my invention is mounted on the mounting plate 47.

Also to be noted is the dispenser operating opening 43 which is formedintermediate the front and bottom Walls 12 and 15, respectively. In thefinally assembled carton such opening communicates with the interior ofthe container adjacent the bottom end thereof and provides means for thepassage of tablets from the box as dictated by the operation of thedispensing apparatus, as will now be set forth.

As will bc best recognized from an examination of Figure 4, a dispensermeans indicated generally atit), comprises a substantially square shapedbase member 51 of dimensions commensurate with the interior dimensionsof Ythe assembled container or carton illustrated. One edge of base 51is formed with a semicircular opening or indentation 52 for registrationwith opening 42 of inside bottom wall 37. The dispenser likewiseincludes a front wall portion 53 having a cutout suitable for clearing aprotruding portion of a dispenser wheel 54. The front wall 53 adjoins toa trap ezoidal or substantially triangular shaped upper wall portion 55(see Figure 4), composed of two layers of material folded together.

The dispensing wheel 54 comprises a circular disc having a plurality ofsuitably shaped and sized openings 56, 56 conforming to the shape andsize of the pill or tablet members 45. Any suitable material, such asplastic or the like, is ideally suited for the manufacture of thedispensing wheel 11 although other materials may be utilized for thispurpose as well. In the particular dispensing wheel illustrated, thesame is'provided with six openings 56 for receiving tablets 45; suchwheel being mounted on rivet 57 at its center and in between wall 55 andbase 51 so that its periphery extends through the opening in front wallf As will be obvious from-an inspection of Figures 2 and 3 ofthedrawings, the dispensing unit 50 is arranged for insertion as a unit inthe lower interior of the container formed from blank it) With thedispensing wheel 54 protruding through dispensing opening 43 andoutwardly of front wall'12 for manual engagement. Additionally it willbe appreciated that the semi-circular cut-outs 41, 4l, 42 and 43formulated in the tabs 32, bottom wall 37 and a portion of the dispenseropening 43 respectively, provides an opening for the passage of tabletswhich is in registry with the path of openings 56 of the dispensingwheel; the latter being capable of carrying a tablet from Within theinterior of the con? tainer to the exterior thereof by rotation of wheel54 about rivet member 57 and in either direction of rotation as desired.

Having thus described the elements and their mode of combinationrequired for the new and improved container of my invention, it will beunderstood that with carton forming blank folded as indicatedhereinabove,

a cheap and light weighted container is provided which is readilyadapted for the storage of a given number of unitary articles, such assalt tablets and the like. The disposition of the dispensing wheel 54adjacent the lower bottom wall of the container obviates the need forany means other than gravity for feeding the tablets 45 to 4 thedispensing apparatus. In this regard it will be understood that thetablets within the containers interior fall into individual openings 56of the dispensing wheel and are carried, one at a time, intermediate thewall portions 51 and 5S of the dispenser unit until the same registerabove the semi-circular cut-out formed in the bottom wall of thecontainer, as described. When such occurs, the tablets fall downwardlyby gravity to the hand of the user. Y

Of outstanding Aimprovement and importance in the container hereindescribed is the formulation of the containers double back wall 46 whichfacilitates the rapid and convenient mounting of the container on themounting plate 47. Additionally the protruding disposition of thedispensing Wheel 54 so-that the periphery thereof extends outwardly ofthe containers front wall 12 makes for added convenience and operationalefficiency to the user. For example, as the user manipulates thedispenser with his thumb the palm ofthe associated hand will be normallyor naturally positioned below the bottom wall V15 for receiving thetablets as they gravitationally discharge from the dispensing wheelopenings 56 in which they are carried.

Therefore, while I have herein shown and described the features andimprovements of my invention as associated with a preferred embodimentthereof, it will be appreciated that numerous changes, modilications andsubstitutions of equivalents may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention. As a consequence, I do not wish tobe limited for the particular form of my invention herein illustratedand described, except as may appear in the following appended claims.

I claim: i

1. A combined dispenser-container of the class described, comprising, afolded carton enclosing a chamber for holding articles to Vbe dispensed,a removable dispensing means insertable as a unit within said carton ina position coextensively paralleling the bottom wall thereof,V saiddispensing means comprising, a rotatable wheel having spaced articlereceiving openings formed therethrough, a pair of spaced wall membersdisposed over vopposite faces of said wheel and interjoined along oneedge outwardly of said wheel and an axle member fixed transverselybetween said spaced wall members for rotatably supporting said wheel;said dispensing means being positioned within said carton so as to reston the bottom wall of the latter and in a manner such that a portion ofits said wheel member projects through an elongated opening formed inone side wall of said'carton thereby being manually accessible, the saidarticle receiving openings in said wheel passing over a dischargeopening formed in the bottom wall of said carton as said wheel isrotatably moved, thereby providing for the gravitational discharge ofsaid articles lthrough said cartons bottom wall.

2. A combined dispenser-container of the class described, comprising, afolded paper carton, said carton enclosing a chamber for holdingarticles to be dispensed, a unitary dispensing unit mounted within saidcarton in adjacent parallelism with the bottom wall thereof, saiddispensing unit comprising a rotatable wheel having arcuately spacedarticle receiving openings, a pair of spaced wall members disposedadjacent opposite faces of said wheel and interjoined by a third walltraversing said wheel substantiallyin chordal fashion therewith, and anaxle member fixed transversely between said spaced wall members forrotatably supporting said wheel; said dispensing unit being sopositioned and arranged within said carton as to have its wheel memberextending transversely outward of one wall of said carton for manualengagement by the user with the path of movement of said articlereceiving openings in said wheel intersecting a discharge opening formedthrough the bottom wall of said carton whereby articles carried by saidwheel are gravitationally discharged through said cartons bottom 6 Wallwhen the same are indexed over said opening in the 1,605,210 BohmkerNov. 2, 1926 bottom wall of the latter. 2,371,216 Blons Mar. 13, 19452,390,448 Moeller Dec. 4, 1945 References Cited in thele of this patent2,543,934 Poskey Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED VSTATES PATENTS 5 2,649,994 LeWiSet al. Aug. 25, 1953 439,773 Cole Nov. 4, 1890

